A Shift in the Wind
by Jasmin Kenobi
Summary: When the wind shifts, it can signal many things. Warmer weather, a cold front, a nasty storm brewing on the horizon and much more. But a metaphorical change in the wind... that can signal far more dire consequences for the people caught in the storm it brings. This particular shift in the wind... this one reaches far and wide and changes the course of history as we know it.
1. Chapter 1

A single _Consular_ -class ship slid through space, gliding towards its destination: a Trade Federation droid control ship. In the cockpit, a pair of cloaked men stood behind the pilot and copilot.

"Request permission to dock, Captain," one of the cloaked men said calmly. The other shifted slightly.

The captain, a middle-aged human woman with cropped brown hair, nodded, "Yes, Master Jedi."

She toggled a control that opened a channel to the control ship, "Attention, Trade Federation vessel. The Chancellor's ambassadors are requesting permission to board."

There was a brief period of silence before a nasally voice came back, "Permission granted. The ambassadors will be escorted to the conference room."

The Jedi exchanged a glance and then the elder of the two said, "Agreed. It will be good to resolve this matter."

"I hope so, Master Jedi," the co-pilot chimed in, looking back at the two.

Meanwhile, while those two Jedi prepared to begin their negotiations with the Trade Federation's Viceroy Gunray, a disturbance rocked the Force.

On the surface of Naboo, in a damp forest, a strange anomaly of sorts appeared, leaving the air swirling with power for several minutes before disappearing and leaving a new arrival.

The process was repeated on Tatooine, Coruscant, and in the city of Theed, also on Naboo. Each of the four disturbances left an individual behind, a very confused and disoriented individual. Save for the individual in the forest, who knew exactly what had just transpired.

That individual stood carefully and stumbled briefly before straightening.

"That was interesting," the human woman said, looking down, "But hey, I'm alive. That's a definite plus. The minus… where did my clothes go?"

She looked down at herself and looked around, completely unabashed by her current state of undress… until she spotted a very odd creature looking at her.

"Whosa are yousa?" it asked.

The woman yelped and went to cover herself, just as the creature realized a certain detail.

"Oh! Are yousa otay?" the creature scratched one of its long, floppy ears and watched as she looked around, desperately.

"Just embarrassed, severely so. This isn't how I usually walk about in a forest with who knows what in it."

The creature came closer and said, "Meesa be back."

It scampered away and the woman cursed softly, "Why is this my luck? I bet the others had clothes on and weren't completely naked…"

She brushed a lock of black hair away from her tanned face, her green eyes scanning her surroundings as the creature came back, holding something.

"Here! For yousa!" it grinned and held out articles of clothing.

"Thank you. You're very kind," she smiled, accepting the clothing and quickly donning them, ignoring the knowledge of where they might have been. She'd find the nearest city and procure something else, she'd worn worse than this before.

The pants seemed to fit okay, but the shirt left quite a bit of midriff exposed, but she didn't comment. The creature looked very happy to have helped and she didn't want to ruin that, she always liked it when people were happy, unless they'd just killed someone to make themselves happy. That was a different field.

"So, tell me, where could I find the nearest village or town? I'm afraid I'm horribly lost."

The creature tilted his head, "Otoh Gunga… but mesa afraid my has been banished…"

"I'm sorry," she said, "Well, I'm sure there's someplace else. I don't mind walking. I'm…, uh, Nidora, but the way. Nidora Saru."

"Meesa Jar Jar Binks."

She made to take a step, heading north, when she froze and swore for several moments.

"Jar Jar, we need to run!" she called out, pointing up.

Above them, there were landing craft slowly descending upon the forest, a loud hum splitting the air as their engines strained to lower the craft perfectly to the ground.

"Whosa are they?"

"Bad. Run!"

She grabbed his arm and took off running, adrenaline heightening her instincts as she pulled Jar Jar along, ignoring the sharp pain in her feet as sticks and rocks cut her soles.

In one of the landing craft, a Jedi hid amongst the tanks and droids, making sure to stay out of sight. He could sense his Padawan in one of the nearby craft, doing the same.

His thoughts were briefly interrupted by the faint jarring sensation of landing before the bay doors hissed open and started releasing droids and tanks. He used the Force to aid him as he leapt out and started running, disappearing into the trees.

He hadn't gone far when he caught sight of a human woman dragging a native being along, running from the droids as well.

"Hurry, Jar Jar!" she called out, "Because they will paste you!"

"Meesa not gonna die today, nosa!" the being yelped, picking up the pace.

The Jedi could feel the tank behind him and he shouted, "Get down!"

The woman looked back and dropped, dragging Jar Jar with her. The tank rolled over all of them, the anti-gravity repulsors battering them before it left them behind.

The Jedi sat up first, looking over at the strange pair. Jar Jar was wailing slightly, clearly very frightened. The woman swore in Huttese and gingerly stood, her feet leaving smeared red stains on the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked, helping Jar Jar to his feet.

"I'm fine. Um… where exactly did you come from?"

"I snuck down aboard one of the ships, I'm-"

A pair of droids on aerial platform vehicles appeared and the Jedi pulled out his lightsaber, brandishing it as he deflected blasts back at them. His Padawan appeared at that moment and cut down one of the droids as a bolt was deflected into the other.

"Excellent timing, Padawan."

"Thank you, Master. Who are your new friends?"

The woman gave a faint smile, "I'm Nidora Saru and this fellow is called Jar Jar Binks."

"I am Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

She nodded slightly, "Could we possibly sit for a moment?"

Obi-Wan blinked and moved to speak, but Qui-Gon silenced him, "Come. Your feet are injured, it isn't safe for you to just leave them be. Not to mention the infection risk."

Nidora nodded, "Thank you."

Qui-Gon helped her over to a newly felled tree and helped her sit while he examined her feet.

"What brings you to be in the Naboo forests in this state?"

"I got lost… you know what, that's a load of _poodoo_ , it's a very long story that will probably be explained later but we really don't have the time for now."

"I see," the Jedi chuckled, "You seem quite calm, considering the circumstances."

"This isn't my first war zone, my dear Master Jedi. You'll find I'm all too familiar with these sorts of places."

"Master!" Obi-Wan called out, "The Gungan knows of a city where they may help us."

"Otoh Gunga," Nidora nodded, "But Jar Jar has been banished, he can't go back."

"Uh-huh," the Gungan nodded, ears flapping.

Qui-Gon mused, "If you can direct us to the city, Jar Jar, you can remain outside while we go in. You wouldn't be breaking any rules then, you'd simply be waiting for us as our escort. We can return to the surface once we've completed our business to retrieve you."

"Okee-day," Jar Jar nodded, seemingly happy with the compromise, "Meesa no wanting ouch time!"

"Excellent," Qui-Gon nodded, "Miss Saru, you should stay here as well, your injuries would make it difficult to reach the city."

She looked down at the ground for a moment and sighed, "Very well. But if there is fighting, don't expect me to stay down."

"I would prefer if you did. I won't be dragging a civilian into danger."

She just looked at him coolly, "Your mistake is thinking I've never been in a fight before."

"And yours is forgetting your injuries. Now, Jar Jar will lead us to the city and meet you back here once we have gone to meet with his people."

"It's an underwater city, the Gungans are an amphibious people. We'll wait on the lake shore. Shall we?" she stood, wavering slightly. Qui-Gon checked that his makeshift bandages were holding before even allowing her to take a step.

"Be careful," he admonished her when she tried to step over a branch and onto a rock.

Nidora muttered something unkind and stalked over to join Jar Jar, who led the way.

The trek to the lake was short, but arduous with the multitude of fallen trees and other flora.

When they reached the shore, Qui-Gon helped Nidora find a seat to wait while Jar Jar led them into the lake and to the underwater city.

So, she sat and waited, taking this opportunity to lightly meditate and try to get a grasp on the full situation.

When Qui-Gon and the others returned, in a submersible craft, she rose, "About time. I was thinking they'd just killed you."

"Unfortunately, they almost killed Jar Jar," Obi-Wan replied, "He decided to come in with us to help convince the bosses."

"Jar Jar… you shouldn't have done that. These two kind Jedi are very good at convincing on their own."

"Yousa right," the Gungan admitted sheepishly.

Obi-Wan piloted the craft closer to the shore so she could gingerly step out and make her way to side of the craft to board it and take a seat right next to Qui-Gon. The Padawan sealed the canopy and dove quickly underwater, heading deeper. Nidora caught sight of the city in the distance.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"We're going through the planetary core to Theed, where we'll try to find the Queen… and maybe find a medical kit and some better clothing."

Nidora looked down and flushed slightly, "To be fair, it wasn't my plan to wind up like this. The universe has a strange way of telling me it loves me."

"At least your sense of humor is apparently intact."

"It was never intact," she scoffed, "I just make really bad jokes and hope that someone laughs."

"A rather positive outlook," Qui-Gon observed.

Silence fell over the small submersible as they glided through the dark waters, dodging natural formations and the occasional example of local fauna.

"I must say, I've never seen such hostile wildlife before. And I've run into rancors on several occasions," she mused aloud at one point.

"Really? I thought gundarks were worse," Obi-Wan replied.

"Meh, they're not so bad if you don't fall into their nests or something like that. Rancors… they don't care, you're food if they see you."

"Dealt with Hutts before, have you?"

"Unfortunately."

Silence descended once more until the water grew lighter and Jar Jar pointed up, "There-sa da Naboo."

The Gungan had been mostly quiet during the trip, occasionally panicking when a particularly nasty form of life appeared and tried to devour the craft, which was perfectly acceptable circumstances under which to panic.

"You've been very helpful, Jar Jar. Come on, let's go and help these Naboo people," Nidora rose as Obi-Wan deactivated the canopy field.

As they were making their way into the city, the Queen and her retinue were being forced along the streets and towards a camp.

The Queen was a young woman with a heavily painted face and elaborate attire. Her handmaidens were simple sunset-colored garb and her guardsmen wore crisp maroon and black uniforms. As the spindly droids marched them along the streets, one of the handmaidens noticed something on one of the overhead walkways. Four pairs of eyes gazed down at them as two men suddenly stood and leapt down, brandishing lightsabers.

"Jedi! Blast them!"

"Roger roger."

"Roger roger."

The Jedi sliced through the droids with ease, their plasma blades sliding through the metal like a knife through hot butter.

As the last droid fell, the other two individuals stepped out. The first was a gangly Gungan, his large ears flopping as he moved. The second was a woman, her attire clearly makeshift and her feet bandaged.

"Thank you, Master Jedi," the Queen's lead guardsmen, Captain Panaka, said.

"We need to leave," Qui-Gon said, urgency coloring his tone.

"We can't," a rounded man with a white beard protested, "They'll kill the Queen."

"No, they won't," Nidora retorted, "They need her, I know they do. Is it to control the people by using you as a hostage?"

The Queen straightened, "They need me to sign a treaty to make this legal."

"Ah, so they're going about it that way… Qui-Gon is right, we need to go," the disheveled woman replied, "If there's no treaty, this isn't legal and maybe someone will come along to help make those _mir'shebs_ go away."

Obi-Wan flicked a strange glance at her as Panaka spoke up, "The Jedi are right, we need to leave. We need to go to the Senate."

"Excellent idea," Qui-Gon nodded, "Where can we find a ship?"

Panaka gestured, "The main hangar is this way."

The trek to the hangar was quick, the group moved at a brisk pace to avoid droid patrols.

They stopped outside the hangar and briefly looked inside to see the pilots and mechanics kneeling, surrounded by droids.

"Your Majesty, you need to come with us."

"I need to remain here, with my people."

One of the handmaidens leaned forward to whisper something to the Queen. The sovereign closed her eyes and sighed softly, nodding once.

The two Jedi thought the exchange to be strange, but Nidora just chuckled, "You are a wise leader, Your Highness. Only a fool declines advice from those close to them."

Panaka seemed to heave a sigh of relief as the Queen straightened, "We will go."

Obi-Wan looked into the hangar again and then looked at Qui-Gon, "The droids are ours."

Nidora tapped Panaka on the shoulder and murmured, "Blaster, please."

The captain passed the request along until one of his men produced an extra blaster pistol they'd been handing on to, just in case.

"Thank you," she smiled at the captain, stepping forward, "Master Jedi, I'll cover you."

"Do you even know how to use that?" Obi-Wan asked snidely.

She smiled, "I've been trained to use this since I was three, _shabuir_. Don't push your luck or I might… accidentally shoot at you."

"Please don't damage my Padawan," Qui-Gon grumbled.

"No guarantees," she replied, aiming into the hangar bay.

The Jedi Master lifted his hand and then clenched into a fist, rapidly lowering it again.

The two Jedi leapt into combat, destroying droids left and right. Panaka and the guards escorted the Queen and her handmaidens to the sleek silver cruiser that rested in the hangar bay as Nidora covered the Jedi, shooting whatever they missed.

Qui-Gon's lightsaber zoomed over the head of one of the kneeling people and the person popped up, complaining.

"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing!" the short blue-skinned Twi'lek woman complained loudly.

"My apologies. Miss Saru-"

"Mission!" Nidora gasped, springing forward to wrap the Twi'lek in a hug.

"You're choking me!" the girl whined.

"Oh, hush you. I'm not hugging you that tight, you've dealt with Zaalbar."

"We need to leave, now!" Panaka shouted as the Queen boarded the ship.

"Come with us," Nidora urged Mission.

Mission frowned and looked over at the pilots, " _Buir_ … I wish I could, but I need to help them. I just… I need to, y'know?"

Nidora gave her another hug and smiled, "Trust in the Force, Mish'ika. Go."

The Twi'lek gave a huge smile and ran off, her lekku whipping behind her.

"Who was she?" Qui-Gon asked as she walked up the ramp.

"My daughter," Nidora replied as the ramp closed behind her, "The daughter I haven't seen in so long… I wish we could have stayed longer."

"We must get to Coruscant," Qui-Gon murmured softly, resting his hand on her shoulder, "But we will come back for her, and for all these people."

"Oh good, politicians…" Nidora muttered as she limped over to a crate and sat heavily.

A handmaiden appeared and dipped her head, "Miss Saru?"

"Yeah?"

"Her Majesty has asked that I aid you in finding fresh clothes and dressings for your wounds."

The girl's voice was soft and lilting, with an accent that seemed somewhat familiar to Nidora, but one that she couldn't place. She wore the usual sunset colored robes and there were a few strands of blonde hair peeking out from beneath her cowl.

"Thank you," Nidora smiled. The handmaiden gestured towards the aft of the ship as the cruiser lifted off of the hangar deck and made its way out into the fresh air and potential danger from the blockade.

 **Well, this is the first chapter of a new project of mine. I'm not going to say anything now about what this will really be, but I can tell you a few things. First, this is a MASSIVE AU. Movie, TV, and book content will be noticed but will not be closely followed due to some very major changes, one of which has already presented itself. Second, I'm going to do a little challenge: first person to guess who Nidora is gets a shoutout in the next chapter and maybe the chance to help me go over the next chapter (if you want, I mean, any help is appreciated).**

 **Also, this is a new format for me, so please let me know if there's any oddities in how this flows. If you've read my stories before, you notice my usual keysmash of a scene separator is gone, replaced by my attempts at transitions. And no, I am not going to include everything from Phantom Menace. I'm specifically including the parts from Nidora's perspective, that she's involved in, because she is the main character here. Later on, I may include parts from the perspectives of other characters, but that may be a while.**

 **That seems to be about it for news and notices. I hope to have the next chapter out soon, but knowing me, it'll be a bit. And if there are any of my usual readers here… you'll know that I should stop giving myself deadlines because I never stick to them anyway. So please, pester me. Most authors hate that, but I need the kick in the ass to get going.**

 **Anyway, that's enough of my rambling. Let me know what you think of this and try not to be an ass about it. I'll just delete those reviews or ignore them… or, if you leave a name, I will publicly air your stupidity and my response.**


	2. Chapter 2

Nidora Saru was quite content now. She was in clean clothes, finally, courtesy of Rabé, the young handmaiden who had offered her assistance. Said clean clothes even included soft boots that fit around the bandages on her feet.

To her surprise, Obi-Wan turned out to be a delightful conversationalist, willing to explain the ways of the Jedi and the Republic today as she haltingly gave him a very, very brief version of how she arrived on Naboo, leaving out the part about who she really was and what she'd done in her time. She simply told him that she was from another place and was unfamiliar with the Jedi and the Republic of today, having been away for a while.

Qui-Gon seemed cautious of her, which she didn't fault him for at all, and warned his Padawan against getting too in-depth.

Meanwhile, the Queen was in discussion with Captain Panaka and the handmaidens tidied the ship a bit after their blockade run, including the handmaiden Padmé, who helped clean the little astromech who'd saved the ship. The pilots were all jittery, as they were apparently making their way to Tatooine after the hyperdrive was damaged.

That brought Nidora to a whole new train of thought: Tatooine. She'd always hated that dump, even thought she'd only been there once and it was to Anchorhead. She hated the slimy crooks and scum who lived on the desert world and just plain hated how the sand managed to get everywhere.

"Miss Saru?"

The voice startled her out of her thoughts as young Padmé stood before her, her hands folded in front of her.

"Yes?" Nidora replied, straightening in her borrowed chair.

"I wanted to talk to you… no one here seems to know anything about you…"

"And you want to be sure that I mean no harm to your people. Perfectly understandable. Just… be aware there are some things I cannot tell you at this time, not until I've briefed the Jedi Council…"

"The Jedi Council? Why?" Padmé asked, sitting down in the chair that Obi-Wan had vacated several minutes earlier to head for the cockpit to discuss something with the pilots.

"Because it's imperative that they know several facts about my presence here before I share them with anyone else. There's no one else that I dare discuss this level of Force interference with."

"Force interference?" Padmé frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The Force sent me to Naboo, and you, for a reason. I don't know what it is, but I know that it surrounds you very differently than it does your handmaidens and your decoy."

The handmaiden started at that and glared, "How… how did you know?"

"She turned to you for advice. Now, I understand your reasons, you're very wise to use a decoy, I would do the same. But you must counsel your decoy in advance on possible choices that may need to be made. The Queen cannot ask advice so openly of mere handmaidens, unless, of course, it is a Naboo tradition for the handmaidens to also act as advisors," Nidora explained with a small smile to set the young woman at ease.

But, Padmé still frowned, "It is an unofficial tradition, perhaps, but nothing official. The handmaidens act as friends and confidantes, yes, but not as official advisors."

"The Jedi don't see a problem in how you advised your decoy, because they see it as a Queen asking her closest confidantes what their opinion is, but it shouldn't happen more than once, or they will become suspicious."

"I see. Thank you," the young Queen in disguise replied, seemingly more at ease, "Now… do you know anything about Tatooine?"

Nidora shuddered theatrically, "I've only been once, to Anchorhead, and I wouldn't recommend it. Anchorhead was controlled by Czerka and we all know how utterly cold they are. Trust me when I say the planet is a miserable ball of sand and sunburn. Oh, and my best friend's mother. That was a true highlight… that and the krayt dragon."

"The what?" Padmé blanched slightly and Nidora laughed slightly.

"It's a very long story, but to make it short, my friends and I killed a krayt dragon for a very good cause."

"That's an impressive feat," Qui-Gon interjected as he made his presence known from the hatch leading into the small room.

Nidora looked over, "Don't be so impressed, there was a Mandalorian and a Jedi with me. Between them, they managed to kill it, I was just the moron running around with a death wish."

"A Mandalorian? Most are peaceful these days."

Nidora blinked. And blinked again. And proceeded to laugh.

"Really? I feel like my father is rolling in his grave hearing that. He raised me and my brothers to be the epitome of Mando warrior, even if I am the only one in the family still alive."

Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes, "You're Mandalorian?"

"Yes, I am. Your Padawan didn't tell you? He and I had the most fascinating discussion on Mandalorian philosophy, apparently you two protected a young Mandalorian duchess once…"

"Duchess Satine, yes."

"It was a truly fascinating discussion, so few seem to understand Mandalorian culture, I was quite surprised that a Jedi Padawan of all people would know our culture so well. Although… I was disturbed to hear about this thing called Death Watch, and the blight on Clan Vizla that started that _osik_."

Padmé looked between the Jedi and the stranger and nodded, "A Mandalorian would be a great help in freeing the Queen's people. I'll be certain to mention that to her, she would truly appreciate your assistance, should you be willing to provide it."

"I would be remiss in not freeing the Naboo from such obscene practices," Nidora nodded, "I hate seeing anyone oppressed in such a fashion, I'd probably help even if no one asked."

"Interesting," Qui-Gon noted, "Most Mandalorians appear to be out for themselves these days."

"We call those bounty hunters and mercenaries, Master Jinn, those types are always out for themselves, regardless of their culture. Now, I'm going to prepare for when we reach Tatooine… I'm going to need a scarf of some sort, I managed to sunburn spectacularly last time I was here, despite my complexion."

Padmé smiled, "I'll get one, I'm sure there's one somewhere on the ship."

Nidora grinned at the young monarch and stood, making her way to the cockpit to join Obi-Wan and the pilots as they approached Tatooine.

As Qui-Gon, Nidora, and the surprise addition of Jar Jar made to leave, Panaka called out after them.

"The Queen asks you to take her handmaiden with you, so that she can learn more about this planet."

"This is no place for a young girl," Qui-Gon replied, quickly shutting that down.

"The Queen commands you to take her with," Panaka retorted.

"It would be a good experience," Nidora cut in, "And we'd look a lot more friendly if we had someone who doesn't look so threatening with us. Because let's be honest, Jar Jar looks more like a threatening bumbler than a friendly sort of guy… no offense, Jar Jar, but you are rather clumsy."

"It'sa otee-day," the Gungan bobbed his head, "Meesa know meesa clumsy. It'sa why my was banished in the first place!"

Qui-Gon pinched the bridge of his nose slightly and nodded, "She can come with. But no more orders from her Majesty today, not on a planet she doesn't know."

Panaka nodded, clearly feeling triumphant, and Padmé made to follow the small group, accompanied by the heroic droid, Artoo Deetoo.

The two women continued their discussion from earlier, about Tatooine, as they walked to the nearby settlement of Mos Espa, one that Nidora had frankly no clue as to what awaited them within.

Of course, to her lack of surprise, it was a hive of scum and slavery.

"I already hate it here," she muttered to Padmé, "You see that little girl? The one in rags cleaning that large rug by herself? She's a slave… it's a disgrace that slavers exist."

Padmé gazed at the girl and frowned, her sympathy echoing in the Force, "I wish we could do something to help."

"I do too…"

They were interrupted by Qui-Gon gesturing them into a shop that looked like it had seen better days. The Jedi spoke briefly with the Toydarian owner before the pair disappeared into the junk yard in the back, leaving a young boy with the two women and the Gungan.

"Are you an angel?" the little boy asked, gazing at Padmé.

The young woman looked confused, "An angel?"

"Yeah, I hear the pilots and smugglers talk about them all the time. I think they're from the moons of Iego or something. I wish I could go."

"Why don't you?" Nidora asked, "There's a large galaxy to explore."

"Watto wouldn't let me… and it's his word that goes."

Nidora's gaze shifted to something resembling pity as Padmé frowned at the boy, "You're a slave?"

"I'm a person, and my name is Anakin!" the boy protested, scowling.

"I'm sorry. This planet is so strange to me…"

Nidora rested a hand on Padmé's shoulder and smiled at Anakin, "Slavery is a very strange thing to those of us who've been fortunate not to have to personally deal with it before. The very thought of owning another being is… abhorrent to most."

"Not to the Hutts," Anakin replied sadly as Qui-Gon reappeared.

"Was-" Nidora began, but Qui-Gon shook his head and made to leave, but the woman lifted her hand.

"You, Watto, was it?"

The Toydarian hovered and nodded, "That's me."

"Good. Now, what's the issue with the parts?"

"I don't take Republic credits," the junk dealer complained, "They're no good out here."

"Okay. Fair enough. Is there a Czerka outpost anywhere near here? They'll exchange them."

"Czerka? You been under a rock? They left here twenty years ago."

"Damn. That means my krayt dragon story is no longer told…" Nidora pouted, "Such a good story, too. How we killed that dragon and took the pearl and gave it to a struggling hunter so he could use the credits to get a ride back to his family… One of my favorite adventures, no doubt."

Watto backed up, "You killed a krayt dragon?"

"Uh-huh. The biggest. Me, and a couple friends. A Mando and a Jedi… it was a magnificent adventure. We were on a mission to find an ancient relic and the dragon's lair held one of the clues, but we couldn't just walk in, now could we?"

Anakin was awestruck at the tale.

"Jedi?"

"Yeah, my friend… more like a sister, really."

Watto suddenly straightened and said, "You'll scare away my other customer, shoo n-"

"Telling the krayt story again, are we?" a lightly accented voice said from the entrance to the small shop.

Nidora turned and a wide grin split her face, "Speaking of… it's good to see you again, Bas."

"You too… Nidora."

Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed as he registered a slight pause in Bas' words.

"You helped kill a krayt dragon?" Watto gaped at the slim woman who'd just entered.

"Yes. The Force is a useful ally," Bas nodded.

Watto backed up and gestured, "You should leave now. I don't serve no Jedi here."

"I haven't been a Jedi in years, there's no need to worry," the Talravian woman scoffed, "Besides, I bring the very best of parts and you know it."

Watto made a derisive noise and gestured her towards the back as Qui-Gon led the others out.

"Who is she?" he asked Nidora once they were out of range of the shop.

"My sister in all but blood," she answered simply, "And a very gifted Force user."

"I can tell…" the Jedi Master murmured as Padmé quickened her pace to keep up with Nidora so she could ask about what Czerka was.

They hadn't even gone far when Jar Jar managed to cause trouble by trying to snag some food and accidentally flinging it into the bowl of a now-angry Dug.

The Dug snarled and pinned Jar Jar to the sand, offering a few choice threats.

"I wouldn't," Nidora snapped, "I happen to like that Gungan… and I'm the one here who can back up my threats."

"She's right," a young voice chimed in, "She killed a krayt dragon!"

The Dug snarled something in Huttese, to which Anakin replied in kind as the little boy helped Jar Jar up.

"Sebulba's a nasty sorta guy," the boy explained, "He woulda pasted you."

"Meesa no wanna be pasty!" the Gungan protested.

"Then don't piss off the locals, Jar Jar," Nidora shrugged, "Thank you, Anakin. You've been very helpful."

The wind picked up as they started walking towards the outskirts of town with Anakin, who seemed content to see them off.

When they stopped to buy some fruit, the old woman running the stand leaned forward, "There's a storm coming, Ani. I can feel it in my bones. Better run home!"

With that, the woman quickly secured her stand and packed up, covering what she could before the storm could hit.

"How far is your ship?"

"Just beyond the outskirts," Padmé replied.

Anakin shook his head, "You'll never make it! Come on, you can stay with me and my mom until the storm passes!"

The eager child led them to a small hovel, and the ragtag group hurried inside as the sand started to fly.

"Mom, I'm home!"

"Oh, Ani…" a kindly woman appeared, stopping when she saw the group.

"These are my friends, Mom. They needed a place to wait out the storm."

The woman simply smiled, "I'm Shmi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Qui-Gon. These are Nidora, Padmé, and Jar Jar."

"I built a droid, you wanna see?" Anakin asked, tugging on Padmé's arm. The young woman smiled and allowed the boy to lead her off.

"I have enough food for all of us," Qui-Gon told Shmi, pulling out a small handful of tablets.

Nidora smiled, "And I can help in cooking. I may not be the best, but I know my way around a kitchen."

Shmi seemed overwhelmed, but continued to smile, "It's appreciated, truly."

Nidora could hear the new sound of a protocol droid from the rear of the small hovel and chuckled, "Anakin is quite something, isn't he? I don't know many people who could build an entire droid out of what's available here."

"He is, indeed," Shmi's smile grew wider as she began to bustle about getting the meal ready, with Nidora's limited assistance.

At the dinner table, Anakin was quite content to ask questions while Shmi quietly smiled. Nidora could tell that she was happy to see her son enjoying himself.

Despite Jar Jar's eating habits, which included using his long tongue to snag food, it was a rather peaceful meal, something that made Nidora reminiscent for her days wandering the galaxy in that old _Dynamic_ -class freighter that she'd helped steal all those years ago.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by Qui-Gon sharply grabbing Jar Jar's long tongue and lifting a finger at the Gungan.

"Don't do that again," the Jedi warned as he let go of Jar Jar's tongue.

Nidora snickered softly as the Gungan shook his head slightly when he reclaimed his tongue.

"Are you a Jedi?" Anakin asked, having noted the speed of Qui-Gon's move.

"What makes you think that?"

"I saw your laser sword thing. Only Jedi carry those."

"Maybe I killed a Jedi and took it."

Anakin frowned, "No one can kill a Jedi!"

Qui-Gon shook his head and smiled, "If only that were true."

"Have you come here to free us?"

"Ani…" Shmi warned.

"I'm afraid not," Qui-Gon said quietly, "We were on an important mission when our hyperdrive was damaged and we were forced to land here."

"And without parts… we can't complete our mission," Nidora said, looking around.

Qui-Gon nodded, "It's why we need to convince Watto to sell us the parts we need… somehow."

"You could try betting on the podraces," Shmi suggested, "Much of the economy here revolves around those dreadful races."

Nidora grinned, "Qui-Gon, I bet we could have a bit of fun doing that… between us, I bet we could guess who'd win and make some cash."

"No."

"But-"

"No."

Nidora pouted, "I could totally make us some cash… are there any swoop races here?"

Shmi shook her head, "No, just the podraces. Swoop racing hasn't ever been popular in this part of Tatooine."

Anakin looked around and said, "I could race. I'm good at it. I'm the only human who can do it!"

"Ani, no," Shmi warned, worry clear on her face.

Nidora shook her head, "Anakin, that's very kind of you, but I couldn't imagine how your mother feels."

Shmi flashed her a grateful look and Anakin turned a pleading gaze on his mother.

"Please?" he asked, "You always tell me that there's not enough people helping each other in the galaxy…"

"Enough, Anakin," Qui-Gon said gently.

Shmi looked down at her plate for a long while and finally sighed, "He's right…"

Anakin's eyes lit up and he asked, "Really?"

"I do always tell you that… and what sort of parent would I be if I didn't set a good example for you…" Shmi frowned, "I don't like it, but if you feel that this is what you must do… just be careful, Ani."

The boy grinned happily, "Thank you, Mom!"

Nidora watched how Anakin's excitement bubbled over and Padmé smiled slightly, as did Qui-Gon. She tried to smile, but couldn't. She understood Shmi's worry, more than anyone at this table might think. She'd probably have died inside if her own son was to do something like this.

She couldn't help but to wonder how all this would turn out.

And strangely enough, on Naboo, a young Twi'lek woman was having a very similar thought.

"I wonder how this is all going to work out," she mused aloud, looking around at the various members of the resistance.

"How what is going to work out?" one of them, a greying man named Jas Olan asked.

"This little rebellion of ours. Are we going to be able to get the droids off Naboo? Is the Queen going to be able to convince the Senate that we desperately need help? So many questions…"

"You're a strange one, Vao," Olan scoffed, "Not many people here care to think that far ahead."

"Well, I already know I'm strange," Mission Vao declared.

One of the others, one of the pilots from the main Palace hangar, looked around, "Okay, so back to business… how are we going to get in contact with the other cities?"

"Comlinks?" Mission frowned, wondering how such an obvious question needed to be asked.

"So, you're okay with the droids tracing us?" Olan demanded.

"Oh, please. I'm a slicer, that won't be a concern. There isn't a security network in existence that can stand up against my slicing skills. I can make it so they can't track us, but we can track them."

The pilot narrowed his eyes, "Does anyone else suddenly have a lot of doubt in this kid?"

Several hands went up and Mission rolled her eyes, "Wow, thanks. I feel so loved. Someone get me a way to access their systems and I'll do the rest."

The gathered people muttered amongst themselves, unsure of how to go about getting that means of access.

Back on Tatooine, another young woman was having about as much luck in her endeavors.

"Jarra, please! I have the money for a room, you know that. Why won't you rent it to me?"

The woman named Jarra snorted, "Really? Do you want a list? Let's start with how you scavenge parts to sell to Watto. He told me about that. He also told me that you're a Jedi. I don't accept Jedi in here."

"I haven't been a Jedi in years, don't be ridiculous. If I was a Jedi, I wouldn't be here and scavenging for parts to sell, now would I?"

"It doesn't matter, go somewhere else."

Jarra slammed the door and Bas muttered something very unkind.

"Typical," she muttered, "She just had to go and tell that story to Watto to try and scare him… Dammit, Rev, why do you always make my life complicated?"

 **Okay, here is the second chapter. Now, this isn't revised or anything, I didn't get many reviews on the first chapter, and the one person who tried to guess who Nidora is unfortunately didn't get it (I had hope though, those were some good guesses, MMM73181). Now, this chapter should make it a lot easier, and this is also your last chance to guess. Next chapter will be the podrace and I can hopefully get us off Tatooine, too. I honestly only originally planned for one or two chapters set in Phantom Menace, but that shows how good my planning skills are. At the rate we're going here, with these really short chapters, it'll be about five or six.**

 **Also, in regards to chapter length, I'm trying to make them longer, but it's hard to do right now, with my brain not wanting to cooperate and all. I've got tons of ideas for how to go about all this in the future, but TPM is a sticking point for me. As a side note, this story is supposed to cover TPM, AoTC and the years in between the two, but we'll see. I might separate them differently. Regardless, this is the first in a series.**

 **To wrap all of that up, I'm looking for a beta reader. I'm desperate for a beta reader. I would prefer someone with access to Google Docs, that how I usually do joint documents, but I'm cool with DocX (Just let me figure out how to use it first XD). But please, this is the first time I've actually asked for a beta reader, ever. I ask because I'm really invested in this stories and the sequels I've planned and I want them to be good. I want them to be among some of the best work I've ever written. I want to be able to use this work in college creative writing classes (like the one I'm taking this summer) and be able to get a perfect grade. Someone do me a solid here. I'm even willing to beta for beta if I need to. Please. I beg of you.**

 **Anyway, I'll see you guys next chapter and keep up the turnout, I was really impressed with the number of views for the last chapter.**


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